English: March is Women’s History month, and we want to highlight some of the amazing women here at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on our social media sites.

Name:

Roberta Hylton

Title:
Supervisor, Southwestern Virginia Field Office

Duty station:
Abingdon, Virginia

Female Conservation Hero or Mentor:
Rachel Carson

Where did you go to school?
University of Tennessee, Tennessee Technological University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Shenandoah University

What did you study?
Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences (BS) and Biology (MS), Spanish, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

How did you get interested in conservation?
On a whim, I signed up for an undergraduate elective in Geography called Land Surface Systems and Man, taught by Dr. Edwin Hammond. The course was so interesting that I asked Dr. Hammond to help me explore options for other courses that would expand on his course. His recommendations led me to major in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and my career in conservation.

If you could have one incredible animal adaptation, what would it be?
I envy the ability of manatees, aquatic turtles, and marine mammals to remain underwater for long periods. Who wouldn’t want to drift peacefully along the bottom of a river or float over a coral reef, free of cumbersome and imperfect diving gear? There is so much to be seen and explored in the aquatic world.

Check out her blog post at